Mount Dana is a mountain peak in Aleutians East Borough, Alaska at about 818 m (2,684 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 56 km (35 mi) NW of Sand Point.
Mount Dana is a small stratovolcano of the Alaska Peninsula, United States, located northeast of Canoe Bay inlet at the head of Pavlof Bay. It was the source of a major eruption about 3,840 years ago that produced a pyroclastic flow, which filled valleys south and west of the volcano's crater and reached the sea at Canoe Bay.From the Wikipedia article “Mount Dana (Alaska)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Mount Dana the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 44° (NE) at the June solstice and 133° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 317° (NW) in June to 227° (SW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 58° in summer but only 11° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 8:47 AM | 89° E | 8:59 PM | 271° W | 34° | 12h 11m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:02 AM | 44° NE | 11:33 PM | 317° NW | 58° | 17h 32m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 8:31 AM | 89° E | 8:45 PM | 272° W | 35° | 12h 14m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 10:13 AM | 133° SE | 5:15 PM | 227° SW | 11° | 7h 02m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 9:21 AM | 10:05 AM | 11:13 AM | 4:36 PM | 5:45 PM | 6:29 PM | 7h 41m |
| February | 8:31 AM | 9:10 AM | 10:04 AM | 5:56 PM | 6:50 PM | 7:29 PM | 9h 40m |
| March | 8:24 AM | 9:00 AM | 9:49 AM | 8:00 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:25 PM | 11h 48m |
| April | 7:00 AM | 7:40 AM | 8:30 AM | 9:01 PM | 9:51 PM | 10:30 PM | 14h 10m |
| May | 5:45 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:31 AM | 9:53 PM | 10:50 PM | 11:39 PM | 16h 16m |
| June | 5:01 AM | 6:01 AM | 7:05 AM | 10:28 PM | 11:31 PM | 12:32 AM | 17h 30m |
| July | 5:28 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:23 AM | 10:20 PM | 11:20 PM | 12:14 AM | 16h 57m |
| August | 6:36 AM | 7:18 AM | 8:10 AM | 9:30 PM | 10:22 PM | 11:05 PM | 15h 04m |
| September | 7:41 AM | 8:18 AM | 9:06 AM | 8:15 PM | 9:04 PM | 9:41 PM | 12h 46m |
| October | 8:39 AM | 9:16 AM | 10:08 AM | 6:55 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:23 PM | 10h 30m |
| November | 8:39 AM | 9:21 AM | 10:24 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:40 PM | 6:22 PM | 8h 19m |
| December | 9:22 AM | 10:09 AM | 11:26 AM | 3:56 PM | 5:13 PM | 6:00 PM | 7h 04m |
Local time (America/Anchorage), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
At this latitude the summer nights are too short or too bright for the Milky Way core to stand high in true darkness; aim for star trails or the aurora.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -10° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | -2° | — |
| March | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| April | Below 10° in darkness | — | 2° | — |
| May | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| June | No darkness | — | — | — |
| July | Below 10° in darkness | — | 4° | — |
| August | Below 10° in darkness | — | -1° | — |
| September | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -9° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -21° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 1 Bortle 1 — Excellent dark-sky site. The Milky Way casts faint shadows; zodiacal light and airglow are obvious. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.95 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 4.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show March as the clearest month (about 74% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (82%). August is the warmest month and March the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 42 | 42 | 45 | 50 | 67 | 71 | 75 | 70 | 62 | 55 | 50 | 46 |
| Low °F | 4 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 22 | 32 | 38 | 40 | 33 | 27 | 18 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Photograph the peak from a lake, meadow or ridge at sunrise when the face that looks east lights up first.
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Scout in daylight if you plan to shoot at night or before sunrise.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Mount Dana?
What time is golden hour at Mount Dana?
Where does the sun rise and set at Mount Dana?
Can you see the Milky Way from Mount Dana?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Mount Dana?
How far is Mount Dana from Sand Point?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.